Sacrifices
by baby8love
Summary: All GC, all the way. (COMPLETE!)
1. A Selfish Sacrifice

Disclaimers: Not mine

Spoilers: Nope

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**SACRIFICES**

**(Chapter 1 – A Selfish Sacrifice)**

Grissom detected a presence in his doorway and looked up to find Catherine standing there. He wasn't sure if it was hurt or anger in her eyes. Or maybe it was both. What he was sure of was the reason for her being here. "Hey."

"I just spoke with the Sheriff."

"Catherine...I'm sorry."

"So it's true. You agreed with him that I should be the one who takes over Ecklie's spot."

"I can't think of a more deserving person." He stood up, suddenly feeling very awkward behind his desk.

"You know what this means, right?" She laughed and shook her head, not allowing him a chance to answer, "Who am I kidding? Of course you know what this means. Grissom, if you wanted me out of here, you could've just asked. You didn't have to go behind my back."

"It's better this way."

"For who?" She looked at him and gave him a chance to respond this time, but he didn't. "Goodnight Gil."

He watched helplessly as she turned to leave his office, "Catherine, I have reasons for doing what I do."

Turning back to look at him, all the energy seemed to have drained out of her, "I know. I just wish you would share some of those reasons with me."

Not having anything else to say, he watched her disappear out into the hallway. How could he tell her his reason for pushing her away? How would she ever understand how much it hurt him to have her around? To be with her all the time and not be able to touch her? To hold her?

Even if it was completely on a selfish level, he knew this was one sacrifice he had to make.

_*To be continued*_


	2. A Bitter Sacrifice

Disclaimers: Not mine

Spoilers: Nope

**+++++**

**SACRIFICES**

**(Chapter 2 - A Bitter Sacrifice)**

"Sara, why don't you say what's on your mind?"  
  
Sara glanced at Catherine and chuckled, "How'd you know?"  
  
"You mean besides the many looks you've been giving me since the beginning of shift?"  
  
"Sorry."  
  
"Don't apologize when you've done nothing wrong."  
  
"Hey, you need to go home to Lindsey right away?"  
  
"She's at summer camp."  
  
"Since our case is done, you wanna get some breakfast?"  
  
Even though she didn't want to talk to anyone about the situation just yet, Catherine knew sooner or later she would have to face the truth. She knew what Sara wanted to ask her and the sooner this was done with, the better. "So? What's on your mind?"  
  
Sara put down her cup of coffee before asking cautiously, "I heard something about you at work."  
  
"Rumour mill's churning hard these days, I see."  
  
"Is it true? Are you really replacing Ecklie?"  
  
No matter how prepared she was for the question, it still took much of Catherine's energy to get her answer out, "Yes I am."  
  
"Does Grissom know?"  
  
"He's already agreed to it."  
  
Sara seemed taken aback by this, "What? He said yes to this?"  
  
Catherine nodded, turning to look out the window of the diner, not wanting the other woman to see the hurt in her eyes, "Yes he did."  
  
"I can't believe this! Why would he do that?" When Catherine didn't answer, she continued, "Catherine, did something happen..."  
  
She turned to look at Sara, "Did we fight? No."  
  
"Then wh..."  
  
"If I knew, Sara, I would tell you."  
  
"Did you talk to him?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"This is ridiculous!"  
  
Catherine found it amusing that the person she least expected to be disappointed about her departure to actually be more disappointed than the person she had expected the most from. She smiled, "It's alright, Sara. I've always wanted to be a supervisor anyway. Plus, I'm only going over to day shift. We'd still be working in the same lab."  
  
"Yeah, but it's gonna be so different without you around."  
  
"Grissom doesn't seem to think so."  
  
"You can choose to stay."  
  
"I know. But I won't."  
  
"Don't make this into some bitter sacrifice, Catherine. Don't make your decision based on your anger." Sara said daringly.  
  
Catherine gave her a look but then shook her head and sighed, opting to not protest, "If this is what Grissom wants, then it's what Grissom's gonna get."  
  
"He's going to regret it."  
  
"Then that'll be his problem. Bitter sacrifice or not, I'm done trying to figure him out. Maybe he was right. Maybe it is better this way."

_*To be continued*_


	3. A Careless Sacrifice

Disclaimers: Not mine

Spoilers: Nope

**+++++**

**SACRIFICES**

**(Chapter 3 - A Careless Sacrifice)**

"Shouldn't we wait for Catherine?" Nick asked hopefully, though he already knew what Grissom's answer would be.

"No, she's not part of night shift anymore." Grissom said with an indifferent tone before handing the younger CSI a slip of paper, "419 in the parking lot of the Venetian. You're working solo tonight."

"No can do, boss."

"Excuse me?" Grissom looked up with a surprised look, "I thought you'd be ecstatic about the chance to work alone."

"Not if it means losing Catherine."

"Catherine's promotion has nothing to do with you, Nick."

"How can you say that, Grissom? Her leaving has everything to do with every single one of us!" Nick gestured angrily at Warrick and Sara, who stood behind him in silence, before pointing at Grissom. "Especially you!"

Glancing at the other two, Grissom retaliated calmly, "Nick, this is an opportunity of a lifetime for Catherine. She's wanted to be a supervisor for a very long time now. If you truly care about her, then you should be happy for her. I, for one, am very happy for her."

"Aren't you the least bit upset that she's gone?"

"She's not gone. She's merely part of a different shift. We still work for the same lab, the same citizens of Las Vegas."

"Guys, help me out here." Nick turned to each side to look at Warrick and Sara for their help. When they didn't respond, he shook his head, "You guys know as well as I do that this team will never be the same again with Catherine gone! And if I'm the only person here who cares about her and our team enough to speak up, then maybe I should leave too!" He ripped his badge off his shirt and threw it on the table.

"Nick man, don't say anything you're going to regret." Warrick finally spoke up behind him.

"Warrick's right, Nick. Don't do this. Don't make a careless sacrifice. Catherine wouldn't want you to." Sara glanced at Grissom when she said Catherine's name.

"Warrick, Sara, you're with me. We've got a double homicide in Summerlin." Grissom handed them the case file before turning back to Nick, "I'm going to pretend I didn't hear any of that. You've got a crime scene to process. So take your badge back and get to work."

Knowing he was fighting a losing battle, Nick grabbed his badge and stormed out of the room.

"Anyone else have bones to pick with me?" Grissom asked with an authoritative tone. When Warrick and Sara answered in the negative with their silence, Grissom nodded, "Good. You two go on ahead, I'll meet you at the crime scene. I have to tie up some loose ends on my last case."

"Nick should've known better." Sara shook her head, speaking only when she was sure they were out of Grissom's hearing range.

"He was right though. Just chose a bad way to show how he felt." Warrick sighed.

"We should've said something."

"And what? Get Grissom pissed at us too? I don't think I can stand his moodiness for an entire night. Can you?"

"No. I just wish we could do something."

"Yeah, I know what you mean. But provoking Grissom isn't the way to get things done. We just have to let him and this situation cool off for a bit before we try anything."

"I'm not sure anything will help."

"What do you mean?"

"I talked to Catherine. She's pretty determined to stick this one out."

Warrick chuckled dryly, "They're both so damn stubborn. The only two people who can change their minds are each other."

"It's gonna be a long summer."

_*To be continued*_


	4. A Puzzling Sacrifice

Disclaimers: Not mine

Spoilers: Nope

**+++++**

**SACRIFICES**

**(Chapter 4 - A Puzzling Sacrifice)**

"Hey Nicky."

Nick turned around at the familiar voice, "Catherine? Hey!"

Catherine let out a soft chuckle, the first since she had began work as 'Day-shift Supervisor' a few days ago, and hugged an eager Nick.

"Why are you still here? Your shift ended an hour ago." Nick pulled away, checking his watch, "Not that I'm not happy to see you or anything." He quickly added with a smile.

"Paperwork." She answered simply, prompting a sympathetic look from Nick. "And I thought maybe I'd be able to catch you for a few minutes before you headed out into the field."

"I still can't believe you took over for Ecklie."

"Me neither, actually." Catherine shook her head, "I've wanted this for so long, it's almost surreal having it now."

"How's day shift treating you?"

"They're good people. Not quite as good as night shift, of course, but I'm happy to say Ecklie hasn't rubbed off on them like I had expected."

"That's good."

"Mmhmm...I heard about your little disagreement with Grissom."

"It was nothing." He shrugged, looking away like a little boy expecting a tongue-lashing from his mother.

"Nick, I don't want my departure to be the cause of any rifts within the team. No matter what Grissom says or how he acts, the four of you are a team."

"Well it used to be that the *five* of us were a team."

"I'm still in the same lab."

"That's what Grissom said."

"It's the truth."

"I don't get it. I just don't get it! How can the both of you act as if this means nothing? Yeah, you're right, we are a team. But I thought we were also more than that." He paused, sighing, "I thought we were a family."

"We still are, Nick."

"Then how you could just leave like this?"

Before Catherine could answer, Warrick walked in, giving both of them worried looks. "Hey...everything alright here?" He walked over to Catherine and gave her a hug, "Hey Cath."

"Hey Warrick. Yeah, everything's fine. Your shift's starting soon so I better get outta your way. I'll see you two soon." She gave Nick one last look before heading out the door.

"Nick man, you gotta stop doing this."

"Doing what? Trying to get our team back together?" Nick angrily snapped back.

"No, trying to force Grissom and Catherine to deal with something they both obviously don't want to deal with. Can't you see what's happening? This was never about it being a good opportunity for Catherine to climb the lab ladder. It's about two people who don't want to face each other. Catherine could've stayed just now but she wanted to get outta here to avoid Grissom."

"So we're just supposed to stand around and let their emotional issues destroy our team?"

"We still have a team. But if you keep pushing this, we won't."

"I can't believe this. Grissom's a smart guy. He's smarter than anyone I've ever known! Why would he make such a stupid choice?"

"Because he thinks it was a sacrifice worth making."

"Why?"

Warrick shrugged, "I don't know. I don't think anyone knows except him."

_*To be continued*_


	5. A Sacrifice Fly

Disclaimers: Not mine

Spoilers: Nope

**+++++**

**SACRIFICES**

**(Chapter 5 - A Sacrifice Fly)**

Grissom and the team lined up to shake day shift's hands at the end of the game. For the first time in many years, day shift had won and needless to say, they were ecstatic. Night shift, on the other hand, were understandably upset but still they kept a smile on as they shook hands with their opponents.

"Good game, Nicky." Catherine grinned.

"Good game, Cath. You make a good coach."

Catherine happily shook hands with Sara, Warrick, and Greg, and when she got to Grissom, she shook his hand without any hesitation, "Good game."

"Good game." Grissom nodded, almost a little surprised by the indifference in Catherine's voice and actions.

Before he or anyone else could react to Catherine's coolness, day shift had already rushed Catherine and threw her up onto their shoulders.

"Man, I can't believe they won." Nick shook his head, watching as the opposing team and Catherine headed towards the parking lot.

"We played a good game, Nick. They just played a little better." Grissom offered with a sympathetic shrug, "Let's go have some lunch at the new diner. My treat."

At the sound of a free meal, the team cheered up a bit and headed to their cars, leaving Grissom alone in the middle of the field, still contemplating Catherine's handshake.

"Hey Grissom! You coming? We need someone to pay our bill!" Sara yelled when the group realized Grissom was still standing in the field.

"You guys go on ahead! I have to get my bat." He gestured at the fence where he had left his bat. The group nodded and continued their way to the parking lot. Grabbing his bat, Grissom slowly made his way there too and was surprised to find his team gone but Catherine still there. "Where's your team?" He asked, noticing the lack of people around.

"They left already."

"You need a ride?"

Catherine shook her head with a polite smile, "No, it's ok. I've got someone comi..."

Before she could finish what she was saying, someone emerged from the nearby bathroom, "Took me forever to get this cut cleaned."

"You sure you're alright?" Catherine took hold of his hand and examined it, "It's a pretty deep cut. We should get it covered up."

"I've got some bandages in my kit." The man nodded towards his Tahoe and then as if suddenly realizing Grissom was standing there, he looked at him, "Oh hey Grissom, good game before. Took us a while but we finally got you guys, huh?"

Grissom nodded, trying to ignore the pang of jealousy that had shot through him when Catherine examined the fellow CSI's hand. "Yeah, you guys played well this year."

"All thanks to our brilliant coach here." The man laughed, wrapping an arm around Catherine affectionately.

"Alex, we should really get your hand wrapped up." Catherine turned to Grissom and nodded a 'goodbye', "See you later."

"See you later." Grissom watched as Catherine walked away with Alex, his arm still around her. Trying desperately to ignore the emotions running wild within him, Grissom grabbed his keys from his pockets and hurried to his own Tahoe.

"So are you really worried about my hand or did you really want to get away from him that much?" Alex asked with a gentle smile once he and Catherine reached the SUV.

"I don't want you getting some infection and then have to lose your hand and then not be able to play next year." She gave him a look before opening up his kit and taking out some bandages.

"Gee, you're always the optimistic one, aren't you? Ow!"

"Sorry, did that hurt?" She said innocently as she finished up covering his wound with the bandage.

"You are vicious! A good coach, but vicious! And don't be so rough with that hand of mine. Without that hand, I wouldn't have hit that sacrifice fly and scored us our winning run."

"Right, my bad. You want me to kiss it all better?"

"Ooh...vicious and a tease." Alex chuckled, closing his kit and the trunk of the car, "So are you ever going to tell me why you loathe Gil Grissom so much?"

"Alex, how many times do I have to tell you?" Catherine opened the door and hopped in, waiting for him to hop into the driver's seat before continuing, "Just because I flirt with you, doesn't mean I'll tell you my life story, ok?"

"You know, one of these days you're gonna fall in love with me and you're just going to have to tell me your life story. Or at least why you act as if Grissom wasn't your best friend from before."

Instead of fighting it, Catherine simply gave Alex a look and then turned away to look out the side window. Grissom's car was already gone. She sighed as Alex pulled the SUV out of the empty parking lot.

_*To be continued*_


	6. More Talk of the Sacrifice Fly

Disclaimers: Not mine

Spoilers: Nope

**+++++**

**SACRIFICES**

**(Chapter 6 - More Talk of the Sacrifice Fly)**

"Hey Griss, what took you so long?"

"Yeah, we thought you bailed on us!"

"But now that you're here, we can order as much as we want, right?"

Grissom simply smiled at the barrage of questions and comments as he took his seat at the end of the table. He wasn't about to share with the others what, or more correctly, *who* was on his mind.

"You know, now that Catherine's in charge of day shift, I'm thinking maybe we should start softball practice a little earlier next year. You know, so we're prepared and everything." Nick suggested, handing Grissom a menu.

Just as Grissom opened the menu, Warrick whistled, "Speaking of Catherine..."

Putting down his menu, Grissom turned his head to find, to his disappointment, Catherine and Alex at the door of the diner. Praying desperately for them to leave before they saw him and the team, he gave a warning look to Greg, who began waving to the two.

Greg, who had missed the look, kept waving, "Catherine! Over here!"

Catherine, who had turned at the sound of her name, smiled and walked over to the table with Alex in tow. Glancing ever so slightly at Grissom first, she then turned to the others, "Hey, I didn't know you guys were gonna be here."

"Yeah, Grissom's treating." Greg grinned, still oblivious to Grissom's uncomfortable state.

"You guys here for lunch too? Why don't you..." Nick stopped short when Sara jabbed him in the side with her elbow.

Grissom, who felt all eyes on him now, put up a brave front, "Why don't you join us?"

"Oh no, we were just gonna grab some sandwiches and then head back to the lab. But you guys enjoy. I'll see you later." Catherine nodded and walked away, dragging Alex away with her again.

"Was that Smithson from day shift with Catherine?" Nick asked with a confused look on his face.

"Alex Smithson." Sara nodded, "All the girls back at the lab are crazy about him."

"I heard he was a cop in New York before he became a CSI. He was invited by the Director himself to transfer here." Nick shared with a half-fascinated, half-disgusted tone.

"Good at work and good at softball. He's the guy who hit that sacrifice fly for day shift for the winning run today."

"You guys don't think something's going on between him and Cath..." Greg trailed off, his head slowly turning to Grissom.

"Let's order, shall we?" Grissom said casually, pretending to be captivated by the lists of food in front of him.

Warrick, who had stayed quiet throughout the conversation, observed Grissom with interest. What the others didn't notice in talking, he did in silence.

_*To be continued*_


	7. An Unoriginal Sacrifice

Disclaimers: Not mine

Spoilers: Nope

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**SACRIFICES**

**(Chapter 7 - An Unoriginal Sacrifice)**

"Hey Grissom, I pulled up David Skee's file like you asked me to and..." Warrick walked into the office and immediately sensed that he didn't quite have his supervisor's attention. Looking up, his suspicions were confirmed, "Grissom?"

Snapping out of his thoughts, Grissom shook his head and seemed startled to find Warrick in his office, "Oh...Warrick, what is it?"

"David Skee's file." Warrick held up the folder in his hand and gave it to Grissom, who reached out for it, the dazed look still on his face. "You were right about his past record. With his history, Brass can at least bring him in for some questions. I don't think we can do anything else without more evidence."

Grissom, who didn't answer immediately, seemed completely absorbed in the folder of information. When a minute elapsed, he looked up at Warrick with a look of authority, "Get Brass to bring him in for questioning. We can't do much else without more evidence."

A little confused by Grissom's simple repetition of what he had just said, Warrick paused before asking, "Are you ok?"

"Of course I am, why do you ask?"

"Well you just said exactly what I just said a minute before."

"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't hear you."

"Yeah, I guess not." Taking the folder back, Warrick began heading out the door. Before he got out into the hallway, he turned back around, "This wouldn't have anything to do with Cath and the guy from day shift, would it?"

His back stiffened but Grissom tried his best not to let on how he truly felt, "I don't know what you mean."

Reentering the office, Warrick closed the door, knowing Grissom's need for privacy, "C'mon Grissom, I saw the look on your face this afternoon when you saw Catherine with Alex Smithson at the diner."

Grissom stayed silent, choosing to move around some papers on his desk instead of answering.

"You're not jealous, are you?"

At this, Grissom looked up at him again, "First of all, I am not jealous. Second of all, I don't think I have to explain anything to you, Warrick."

"Look, I'm not trying to pick a fight. The last thing I wanna do is to get in your business cuz I know how much you hate it. But you know what? Is it worth being all stubborn if it means you're gonna lose your best friend?"

Again, Warrick's comment was met with silence.

"I didn't get it at first. I didn't understand why you let Catherine take Ecklie's job. For a while there, I actually thought you did this for Catherine's career. But now I know the truth. You didn't do this for anyone but yourself."

"I think this has gone far enough..."

"You think you've made an incredibly brave and righteous sacrifice when in reality, what you did was and still is nothing but an unoriginal sacrifice that a million people before you have made already."

"Warrick..."

"Yell at me like you did to Nick. Get out your aggressions. But you're only angry at us cuz you know what we say is the truth."

"Warrick, if you really don't want to pick a fight with me, I suggest you leave right now. All the time you just wasted could've been put into the many cases we still need to solve.

"You're right, I did waste a lot of my time here." Warrick turned on his heels and left the office.

_*To be continued*_


	8. Human Sacrifices

Disclaimers: Not mine

Spoilers: Nope

**+++++**

**SACRIFICES**

**(Chapter 8 - Human Sacrifices)**

"Hey man, what's up with you?" Nick slapped Warrick on the back as he headed for the coffee pot.

"Yeah, you've been so quiet since we came back from our case." Sara noted, "Something happen with Grissom while we were out?"

Before Warrick could answer, Catherine entered, flashing a tired but honest smile to everyone, "Hey, you guys maxing out your overtime hours again?"

"Yeah, no choice. Several big cases came in tonight." Nick yawned and took a big gulp of his coffee. "But overtime's not that bad if it means we get to see you."

"Always the sweet-talker, aren't you, Nicky?" Catherine nudged the younger CSI with her arm playfully, "But I have to admit, it's nice getting to see you guys." She paused, "You know what's not nice though? Coming in and hearing from people that my former team members are sparring with their supervisor." She looked pointedly at Warrick.

Nick and Sara exchanged confused looks before they both followed Catherine's gaze to Warrick.

Hanging his head low, Warrick washed out his cup of coffee and shook his head, "I don't know what you heard, Cath..."

"You know exactly what I heard, Warrick. What I don't get it is if you were smart enough to hold Nick back, why did you go and do the same thing?"

Sara's eyes grew as the pieces started falling together, "Is that what happened? You went to talk to Grissom about..." She trailed off, "Warrick! I thought you said we should wait until he cooled off!"

"That is exactly what I said and I meant it. I just..." Warrick shook his head again, obviously frustrated, "The man may be smart when it comes to solving crimes but when it's about simple human relationships, he's completely clueless!"

"So what? You just thought you'd waltz in there and clue him in?" Sara asked incredulously.

"Look, I know what I did was stupid, ok? It was worth a try though."

"Warrick..." Catherine walked over to him, immediately softening her voice, "I know you meant well but I don't want your professional relationship with Grissom to be hurt in any way." She turned to the others, "That goes for you two too, ok? No more protests, no more picking fights with him, no more sudden outbursts. I don't want you guys playing human sacrifices anymore. Yes, he's partly the reason I left but it was ultimately my decision to make and I chose to leave. And I don't want my choice to be the reason this team falls apart. You guys need Grissom as much as he needs you. Don't give up on him like this. He doesn't deserve it."

"And he doesn't deserve you." Nick said softly. A moment passed in silence as the truth of the situation began to finally sink in for all of them. Finally, Nick sighed loudly, breaking the silence. "I'm beat. I'm gonna head home." He walked over to Catherine and wrapped an arm around her to give her a quick half-hug, "Bye Catherine."

"Warrick, can you give me a ride?" Sara asked, following Nick towards the door. When Warrick nodded, Sara walked past Catherine with a slight smile, "Bye."

When Sara and Nick were out in the hallway, Warrick began making his way there too. "Catherine, I'm sorry." He gave her a hug and a kiss on the forehead before heading out.

Leaning tiredly against the counter, Catherine closed her eyes and breathed in deeply, "Me too, Warrick." She muttered before opening her eyes to the sound of footsteps.

_*To be continued*_


	9. A Completely Selfless Sacrifice

Disclaimers: Not mine

Spoilers: Nope

**+++++**

**SACRIFICES**

**(Chapter 9 - A Completely Selfless Sacrifice)**

"Talking to the cupboards again? Should I come back later when you're done?"

"Shut up, Alex." Catherine rolled her eyes and turned around, "You're early."

"So are you. You know, that 'shut up' could be considered harassment from a supervisor."

"And I'm sure you'd somehow be turned on by it."

Alex simply smiled before heading to the community fridge, "I saw your old team walking incredibly solemn-faced down the hall just now. Everything ok?"

"Yeah."

"You sure?"

"If you're going to ask me about my life story or any tidbit in it, save your breath, Smithson. I'm not in the mood."

"You underestimate me, Willows."

"Yeah? How so?"

"I don't need you to tell me about yourself. I've already figured it all out."

"All?"

"Well not all. Just the bits I need to know."

"I'm almost afraid to ask."

"Catherine, you must know how I feel about you."

Catherine simply stared at him, a little dumbfounded by his bluntness.

"Catherine? I'm serious."

"I know, that's why I'm speechless." She shook her head, still at a loss for words, "Alex, you can have practically any girl in this lab."

"I don't want just any girl in the lab, Catherine. I want you."

She chuckled awkwardly, "I know I should be flattered and I am but you'll have to excuse me if I seem a little...shocked."

"You shouldn't be. You're beautiful."

"We really shouldn't be having this conversation...right here...right now."

"I'm not trying to pick you up, if that's what you're afraid of."

"Really? Cuz it sure seemed to me like there were a few pick up lines in there."

He smiled, putting down the bottled water he had gotten from the fridge, "I admit it, there was a time when I thought I could maybe have a chance with you."

"You don't think that anymore?"

"Well judging by your reaction..." He sighed, "Plus I know you're still pining away for Gil Grissom."

"I'm not pining away for him." She said defensively.

"Catherine, the only reason you took this job was so you could get away from the guy. And if you really don't care about him then you wouldn't care about getting away from him." Noticing the odd look on her face, he frowned, "Did that make sense?"

"Yeah." She shook her head, "It did. This is really weird. So if you...like me...then why are you doing this?"

"I like you and you might be physically attracted to me..." When she smiled, he shrugged, "Or not. My point is, I like you and you like him. That never works out so I'm just gonna step away before I can dig myself into a deeper hole here."

"So you're making a completely selfless sacrifice."

"Yeah, does that turn you on?"

She laughed, "I appreciate your touching speech but it's of no use now."

"What do you mean? You're still alive, he's still alive, and most importantly, he's not your supervisor anymore. So the whole supervisor-subordinate relationship rule doesn't apply. Nothing's in your way."

"You're making too much sense." She shook her head and sighed.

"I think I saw him still in his office."

Catherine smiled and walked to the door. Before stepping out, she stopped and walked back to Alex, giving him a hug, "Just so you know, I think you're cute."

"Get outta here before I change my mind, you tease." Alex chuckled but the smile faded from his face as he watched Catherine exit the room.

_*To be continued*_


	10. One Last Sacrifice

Disclaimers: Not mine  
Spoilers: Nope

**+++++**  
**SACRIFICES****  
(Chapter 10 - One Last Sacrifice)  
Shift had been unbearably long and it didn't help that Grissom had been on her mind throughout the day. She had gone to his office to talk to him upon Alex's encouragement but was disappointed to find that he had already left. She tried again at the end of her shift but was surprised to find he hadn't come in early like he usually did. Too tired to think about it anymore, she headed home.  
  
She searched mindlessly through her purse for her keys as she made her way to the front door. When she finally pulled them out, something caught her attention out of the corner of her eye. Turning, she found half of a white envelope sticking out of her mailbox. She reached for it and flipped it around to open it as she entered her house.  
  
"Catherine," She read aloud, immediately recognizing the writing, "I'm sorry for all the hurt that I have caused you. You didn't deserve any of it and I know an apology won't do. So I've decided to quit. I have already spoken with the Sheriff, who will offer you my job and I'm sure will offer your current one to someone competent. I'm sure the team will be delighted to have you back. I'm truly sorry and I wish nothing but the best for you in the future. Grissom."  
  
Too stunned to react, Catherine startled when she felt something wet on her hand. It wasn't only until she walked in front of the mirror that she realized she was crying. Steadying herself against the wall, she took a deep breath and wiped away her tears. She took one last look at the letter before dropping it and grabbing her keys. This was one last sacrifice she wasn't going to allow Grissom to make.**

  
She was at Grissom's townhouse in less than 10 minutes but was hesitant to ring the doorbell, realizing there was a possibility that Grissom had already left. She could imagine the empty townhouse in her head but still forced herself to reach out for the doorbell. After what seemed like an eternity, the door swung open, revealing a surprised Grissom.  
  
"Catherine..."  
  
"How could you do this?" She pushed herself past him into the townhouse.  
  
"I have my reasons."  
  
"You say that a lot but I'm beginning to doubt it."  
  
He shook his head, continuing to pack his books.  
  
"What the hell are you doing, Grissom? Did you think that you could just pack up your stuff and leave? Just like that? That I would be happier this way?"

  
"Yes."  
  
"Aren't you sick of being such a martyr?"  
  
"I'm doing this for your own good."  
  
"No, Gil, you're doing this for *your* own good. You never once thought about how this would affect me."  
  
"I thought you'd be happy to see me go. You get my job and you get to be with the team again."  
  
"There is no team without you."  
  
"I'm going back to San Francisco. I've been offered a teaching job at a local college."  
  
"You'll never be happy there."  
  
"Why not? It's peaceful, it's a simple job."  
  
"I won't be there."  
  
He looked at her, not sure how to respond.  
  
"I must be pretty stupid then, huh? Running all around the lab trying to find you and then coming all the way here, thinking I could somehow convince you to stay. But it's obvious to me you have no intention of staying so you know what? I'm gonna leave now. That's obviously what you want me to do and since you've already made so many *sacrifices* on my behalf, the least I can do is grant you this." She turned around and opened the door.

  
"Have you ever considered that maybe I'm doing all this because I have to?" He waited until she turned around again to face him, "Do you wanna know why I have to push you away?"

  
_*To be continued*_


	11. Undoing Sacrifices

Disclaimers: Not mine  
Spoilers: Nope

**+++++**  
**SACRIFICES****  
(Chapter 11 - Undoing Sacrifices)  
"I'm all ears." Catherine said shortly, throwing her purse onto the couch and sitting down with her arms crossed.  
  
"I was a freshman in college. My best friend was Wendy Rex. We had known each other since high school and..." He shook his head, looking out the window as he recalled what seemed like a past life, "She was my best friend. I know it sounds convoluted and not like me but I was completely in love with her. I never had the courage to tell her though. I didn't want to risk losing her as my friend so I kept everything bottled up."  
  
"Sounds familiar." Catherine muttered and held up her hands, "Sorry, continue."  
  
"That is until we both got into the same college and I never thought it possible but we grew even closer. Then eventually for some crazy reason, I somehow thought it would be a good idea to tell her how I felt. I actually thought she would..." He looked down and shook his head again, "Anyway, long story short, I told her and she never spoke to me again."  
  
"I'm sorry."  
  
"I'm past that. That wasn't my point. My point is...I don't want that to happen to us. So it's best that we keep our distance."  
  
"You think I'd leave you?"  
  
He shrugged, looking away.  
  
"Grissom, I'm not her."  
  
"I know."  
  
There was a long pause before she spoke again, "Grissom, you're in love with me?"  
  
"Of course I love you."  
  
"That's not what I asked."  
  
He looked at her but then got up and walked over to his half-packed boxes, "It doesn't matter. I told you what you needed to know and...it's all I have to say."  
  
"Grissom, I'm not Wendy. I'm not going to leave you for how you feel but I am going to leave if you can't tell me how you feel." When he said nothing, she continued, "Is it really that much easier for you to hurt me than to risk having me hurt you?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"So you'd rather lose me now than take the chance of never losing me?"  
  
Grissom looked at her and shook his head, "I don't know. If I knew, I wouldn't have done any of this. I couldn't have pushed you to take Ecklie's job, I wouldn't have quit, I wouldn't have pushed you away! It's because I don't know how to deal with my feelings for you that I have to do this."**

  
"Grissom, just tell me how you feel."  
  
"You know how I feel."  
  
"No, I know you don't wanna lose me but I don't know exactly what it is that you feel."  
  
Sitting down onto one of the packed boxes, he buried his face into his hands and sighed, "I felt like kicking myself when you decided to take Ecklie's job. I felt like I had made the biggest mistake of my life when I saw how happy you were in your new job. I felt like killing Smithson when I saw him with you." He looked up at her, "Does that tell you how I feel?"

  
"No, that tells me how you felt."  
  
"Dammit, Catherine, you know I'm in love with you!"  
  
"There, that wasn't so hard, was it?" She smirked and walked over to him, kissing the top of his head.  
  
"So what now?"  
  
"Who knows?"  
  
"You think it's possible to undo sacrifices?"  
  
"That would be like taking back gifts. Not good. What's done is done."  
  
"So does this mean you're coming back?"  
  
"So you can be my boss again? No way!" When Grissom gave her a confused look, she laughed, making herself comfortable on his lap, "Relationships between bosses and subordinates are a big no-no. It'd be much easier if I stayed as day-shift supervisor."  
  
"But it means I'm forgiven?"  
  
"By me, yes. By the Sheriff? Not so much. He's going to flip when he comes in for work tomorrow to find you still there."  
  
Grissom chuckled, wrapping an arm around her waist, "And he thought he was done with me..."  
  
"You know, for a while there, I thought you were done with me."  
  
He smiled and kissed her, "Never."  
  
_*THE END*_


End file.
